Council Meeting Chock Full Tonight

Tonight's City-County Council meeting will be an interesting one. Click here for the agenda.

For consideration by the Council acting as a committee of the whole are two new proposals.

Prop 309 -- by Councillor Bob Cockrum -- calls a meeting of the Marion County Income Tax Council for August 25 at 5:00 pm in Room 260 of the City-County Building to discuss whether the tax rate should be adjusted.

Prop 331 -- by Councillor Jackie Nytes -- creates a council task force to research and develop a long-term regional solution to the funding of the Capital Improvement Board (CIB) of Managers and its related entities -- the task force would have two Democrat and two Republican Council members and one appointee of the Mayor and would represent the Council at the General Assembly and before the contiguous Counties on matters related to a long term financial solution to CIB funding.

Coming before the Council once again is Councillor McQuillen's Prop 237, banning solicitation at intersections.

Two biggies tonight -- Mayor Greg Ballard will introduce his 2010 City-County budget and the full Council will vote on Prop 285, which increases the hotel tax by 1%, accepts a $27M loan from the State, and expands the Professional Sports Development Area to capture an additional $8M a year, all proceeds to go to the operating budget of the CIB.

Proposals to be introduced tonight include:

Prop 292 , authored by Councillors Lutz, Mansfield and McQuillen, that would reduce the Township Assessor salaries from $27,500 per year to $19,470 for Decatur, Franklin, and Pike -- $23,364 for Lawrence and Perry -- $25,960 for Warren, Washington, and Wayne -- while Center Township Assessor gets the full $27,500. WOW !!!

Prop 293, authored by Councillor Coleman, that would direct the Director and Board of Indy Parks to consider selling all golf courses owned by the City.

Prop 303, also authored by Councillor Coleman, that would require the internet posting of all contracts with any unit or board of the City or County government, or any municipal corporation, within 7 days of the execution of the contract - with a search feature for accessibility.

Prop 310, authored by Councillor Cockrum, that would direct the Council's votes on the Marion County Income Tax Council to increase the County homestead credit from 8% to 8.0086% and keep the county option income tax rate at 1%, keep the additional county option income tax at 0.27%, keep the public safety income tax rate at 0.35% -- choosing not to reduce those taxes.

Introduction of the various budget ordinances. I have posted links to the proposed budget ordinances for the municipal corporations in a side bar, and will add the City-County budget data and ordinance once those links are made live on the City's website.